Friday, November 18, 2011

Future Sight - Chapter 11

Jhoira and Teferi argue back and forth about what to do. Teferi maintains that Multani needs help. Entering a rift takes more than physically overlapping the location in space, it takes planeswalking. And there's only one person in their group that can planeswalk. Jhoira on the other hand says it's too dangerous, they don't understand the risks. As for Venser, he both wants to help and to explore his abilities, but he also doesn't want to side with Teferi against Jhoira. She is right that Teferi isn't the most cautious of people, and you really never know what's going on in mind.

But what choice is there really?

Venser says he wants to try, and Jhoira and Teferi both turn to stare at him. Jhoira resigns herself to the fact that she can't stop them... and they might be right. But she insists they take this slowly.

(How do you teleport and/or planeswalk slowly?)

Happily, Teferi goes into lecture mode and instructs Venser in the differences between teleporting and planeswalking. (I thought they were already calling his teleporting planeswalking. A type of planeswalking minus the moving to a new plane. I'm glad that he's making a distinction between the two, but I kind of wish this came sooner in the trilogy.)

"Planar boundaries are more formidable than spatial ones. They require a larger effort that is not possible without an innate spark that connects the traveler to the fabric of reality. When I had it," he said, "it also opened up an endless supply of mana to me, made me immortal. Yours is different. You're still flesh and blood, and your facility with mana is unchanged. I think your spark affords you the freedom to go from one realm to another without bestowing any other magical effects."

The key to saving Multani is that while Venser doesn't have the vast magical abilities of other planeswalkers, he also doesn't seem to be affected adversely when he gets close to one like Teferi, Freyalise, and Lord Windgrace had. Entering the rift won't be a true planeswalk, and it should be easier than even just entering the Blind Eternities. Venser asks how he'll find Multani once he's inside, and Multani himself responds that he must follow the song.

(I guess singing is easier than talking for Multani. That's certainly not the case for myself.)

They ask if he's ready, then wish him good luck.

(More on this later.)

Venser closes his eyes and reaches out to the cancerous mass that is the rift. For just an instant, Venser catches a glimpse of the entire universe. Then an instant later he knows he's inside the rift and he hears the song. When Venser opens his eyes, he's amidst a tangle of vines and branches and Multani calls out to him. He spots a wooden mask that is a miniature copy of the face they saw when they were above the forest. Venser grabs hold and planeswalks back to his friends.

Jhoira contragulates him. Then she suggests they what the song said and plant the seed that is Multani's mask. They hope to see results in mere moments, but just then, concern flashes on Teferi's face regarding an unrelated event.

"Jeska's in Zhalfir," Teferi said. "She's about to do something terrible."

They've done what they can for Multani. It's time to go.

* * *

Eloquence

This was not teleporting, however, but planeswalking, and he had understood the difference even before Teferi's eloquent explanation. Teleportation was purely mathematical, the application of magical energy to spatial vectors and coordinates. Planeswalking was more extemporaneous and instinctual, and far more dangerous, akin to sailing a ship through a storm in unfamiliar waters or hitting a bull's-eye blindfolded as enemy arrows rain down all around.

I don't know that I'd call any of what Teferi said as eloquent. He gave one analogy about the difference between the two being as similar as picturing paradise in your mind mind versus actually going there, but I don't think I'd call that eloquent. In fact, Venser's own analogies are pretty much on par with Teferi's, which makes it stranger that he'd put Teferi's explanation of something he already understood up on a pedestal.

It's not that big of a deal, but it did stick out when I read it.

Multani rescued?

Multani's essence is in a mask? A mask that's actually a seed that I assume will grow into full grown Multani. That's a bit odd. I didn't expect that, but sure why not. Let's go with it.